GroupThink

Asian American Foods and Recipes

Asian American Foods
Asian Avenue for APAH Month

By Janna Chan for AsianAvenue.com

At what point does Asian food become American food? Is there a preset standard of time, say 30 years, when kim chi is no longer Korean and sushi is as much Californian as it is Japanese? This is a question that many Asian Americans may find themselves asking at one point or another because after more than a century of immigration to the States the issue of identity, especially through food, is simply inevitable. Today, many Asian foods possess traits that are as much East as they are West resulting in the creation of a whole new category of food: Asian American cuisine. Well-loved dishes such as the chop suey and California roll fall under this heading, and their popularity has helped pave the way for more interesting parings. With the introduction of soy sauce sodas to curry-flavored chocolate bars on the horizon, the future of Asian American food continues to be unique, daring and, more often than not, completely delicious.

Arare Cookies

The arare rice cracker is Japan’s answer to the American potato chip. It’s deliciously salty, thanks to its soy sauce flavor, and its bite-sized crunchiness only adds to its appeal. Now imagine mixing this sodium trenched treat with a batch of sugary sweet cookie dough—it doesn’t exactly make your mouth water but it is surprisingly good. The history of this amalgamation is currently lost in the gourmet records but rumor has it that it was probably concocted sometime in the late 1980s in Hawaii—where else? Fans of the arare cookie liken it to a traditional cornflake cookie due to its substantial crunch but here’s a little friendly advice: a bowl of arare in milk does not a good breakfast make.

California Roll

When people remember the 1970s a few major trademarks stand out: disco, free love and sushi. Okay, maybe this wasn’t the era of the sushi, but it still made its American debut during this time and almost its immediate exit. Simply put, people just weren’t that into raw fish. Luckily for us, an ingenious unknown Californian chef threw together the California roll—complete with cooked crab meat, cucumber and avocado—and sushi was thus saved from a quick death. Now fast forward three decades and the Raw movement is all the rage in California. Go figure?

Chop Suey

Think of chop suey as America’s Chinese hamburger: greasy, delicious and entirely accessible. Then again, according to some, this tasty melody of stir-fried meat, celery, onions, bean sprouts, water chestnuts and mushrooms might not be Chinese at all. Legend has it that this dish was thrown together by a group of American chefs in the late 19th century to impress visiting Chinese ambassador Li Hung Chang. Others still speculate that the chop suey originated with Chinese migrant workers brought in to build the transcontinental railroad. Either way, this dish is now as much American as it is Asian and just toss in a side of fries and you could call it a happy meal.

Fortune Cookies

This may come as a surprise to some, but this perfect end to a perfect meal does not necessarily have its roots in ancient China. In fact, many people suggest that this cookie was first made by a Japanese American woman in San Francisco in 1915, and others contest that it was a Chinese man who started churning them out in Los Angeles a few years later. But if you dig a little deeper, this little cookie may still have Chinese connections. Legend has it that back in the 14th century Chinese villagers were alerted of a forthcoming Mongol invasion via secret messages hidden in moon cakes. Now swap the invasion for a tasty meal and the cake for a cookie and you have yourself a nice little after dinner treat.

General Tso’s Chicken

Where would Chinese food be without the help of New York City? Well, it would probably be just fine except that it would be missing one of its most popular dishes: General Tso’s chicken. This sweet and savory meal of stir fried chicken, vegetables and whole red peppers—don’t eat the peppers; they’re more decorative than delicious—is the result of the 1970s Szechwan revolution that took place in New York and is said to be the brainchild of one Chef Peng. And, yes, General Tso was a real dude. He was revered for his intellect, but is most remembered for having fought four major wars in the 19th century all while suffering from dysentery. Bon appétit!

Li Hing Mui

Foods really don’t get more ancient than the li hing mui (preserved plum seeds seasoned with licorice, sugar and salt). Records show that Lao-Tse, the famous philosopher, and Confucius snacked on them regularly and its popularity has only grown in the more than 19 centuries that have since passed. In Hawaii, where they are most popular, locals like to pound the li hing mui into a fine powder or turn it into a syrup and cover just about anything edible with it. Recipes have been created that coat, infuse, shellac, dip and marinate foods such as gummy bears, popcorn, dried fruits, cake and even steak and tuna with this sweet and salty sauce. Many say that the li hing mui boasts a strangely addictive taste which keeps them coming back for more—it isn’t nicknamed crack seed for nothing.

Mochi Ice Cream

Mochi ice cream can only be described as the serendipitous meeting of two worlds to form one harmonious taste sensation. For those out of the loop mochi, made from steamed and pounded glutinous sweet rice, is an ancient Japanese dish that is traditionally eaten around the New Year but is also snacked on all year long. In the 1970s, the Los Angeles-based Mikawaya Bakery had the ingenious idea of filling their trademark sticky sweet balls of mochi with cold hard ice cream. Now fast forward 30 years and the mochi ice cream ball is a crowd favorite sold at just about every major grocery store and, most importantly, in bulk at your neighborhood Costco.

Spam Musubi

Everyone knows what spam is but what’s a musubi? Many in Japan refer to this rice ball wrapped in seaweed as onigiri, but throw a piece of fried spam on top of it and you have the all-in-one meal lovingly called the spam musubi. This wacky creation is said to have been created by Hawaii native Mitsuko Kaneshiro in the 1970s as an affordable and easy snack for her children. Kaneshiro went public in the 1980s selling at least 500 handmade spam musubis a day and, long story short, this rice and meat love affair is now one of Hawaii’s most unique and, believe it or not, tasty snacks.

[Recipes]

Ahi Steak with Li Hing Mui Butter
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsps lemon juice
1 tbsp lime juice
1 ½ lb Tombo ahi steaks, sliced 1/2-inch thick
¼ cup butter
½ tbsp li hing mui powder
½ tbsp ground macadamia nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
Li Hing Mui Butter
Warm butter until slightly soft, stir in li hing mui powder and nuts. Refrigerate mixture until needed. Makes 1/4 cup.
Ahi Steak
Combine vegetable oil, lemon juice, and lime juice; marinate ahi in the lemon juice mixture for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat electric grill or broiler to 500°F. Drain ahi and grill for about 7 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of li hing mui butter on top of each steak. Place under broiler until butter begins to melt.
(Source: http://www.heco.com/CDA/default/0,1999,TCID%253D4%2526EmbedCID%253D0%2526CCID%253D6880%2526LCID%253D6793%2526CTYP%253DRECP,00.html)

Arare Cookies
1 ½ cups butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 ½ tsps baking soda
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 ¾ cups Rice Crispies
1 ½ cups arare, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add baking soda, vanilla, soy sauce and egg and beat well. Add the flour and mix until just well-blended. Add rice crispies and crushed arare and mix well.
Roll into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet, flatten slightly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden.
(Source: http://starbulletin.com/2001/05/09/features/request.html)

California Roll

3 ¾ cups rice
5 ¾ tbsps vinegar
5 tbsps sugar
3 tbsps salt
10 sheets seaweed, halved
½ pound imitation crab, cut into long, thin pieces
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienne
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into long, thin pieces
Sesame seeds

Wash the rice until the water rinses clear. Drain the rice in a colander and let it stand for 30 minutes. Place the rice in a pot or rice cooker, and add 4 cups of water or follow the instructions on a rice cooker. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, place a damp towel over the rice, and let cool for 10 minutes.
You can find sushi vinegar prepared at a grocery story or you can easily make it by pouring the vinegar, sugar and salt into a pan under low heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved. If you like sweeter vinegar, just add more sugar.
Pour sushi vinegar over cooked rice and mix it gently. You can do this in a wooden bowl for making sushi rice or in your rice cooker by turning off the cooker and pouring the vinegar and mixing gently and evenly and leaving it until it cools down to room temperature. The lid should remain open.
Cover a makisu (sushi rolling mat) with plastic wrap. Place half of a sheet of the seaweed over the plastic on the mat. Place a handful of rice across the seaweed and spread it evenly over the seaweed. Toss the imitation crab with the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Place some of the imitation crab meat along the center of the rice. Add some cucumber and avocado along the center of the rice. Using the mat and plastic wrap, roll the rice around the filling and press lightly to seal. Remove the mat and plastic wrap and sprinkle the roll with sesame seeds. Cut the sushi roll into bite-sized pieces. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
(Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_19381,00.html)

Chop Suey
1 lb. pork or beef (don't use pork chops as they are too dry)
Meat Marinade:
1 tsp soy sauce
1 ½ tsps oyster sauce
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
Sauce:
4 tbsps water or chicken broth
2 tsps oyster sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
Other:
2 small bunches bok choy (can substitute broccoli if desired)
½ cup bamboo shoots, rinsed
½ pound fresh mushrooms, washed and patted dry with a paper towel
½ cup water chestnuts
1 large green pepper
2 stalks celery
1 medium size yellow onion
½ pound snow peas (optional)
Vegetable oil for stir-frying
Cut the meat into thin strips. Add seasonings to meat, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the meat for 10 - 15 minutes.

While meat is marinating, prepare vegetables and sauce. For sauce: Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

For vegetables: Cut bamboo shoots into thin strips. Slice the mushrooms and water chestnuts. Cut the green pepper in half, remove the seeds and slice diagonally. For the bok choy, separate each stalk and leaves. Cut the stalk diagonally and cut the leaves across. Cut the celery diagonally. Cut the onion in half, peel, and slice thinly.

Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the meat. Stir-fry meat until redness is gone. Remove and set aside.

Reheat wok and add more oil. When oil is ready, stir-fry onions and celery first for about 1 minute adding additional vegetables. The order doesn't matter. Add salt to taste. Add water and cover wok.

Reheat wok and add oil. Give the sauce a quick re-stir. Add and combine all the cooked ingredients in the wok. Make a "well" in the center and gradually add the sauce, stirring to thicken. Once it has boiled, remove the chop suey from the stove. Serve hot over rice or Chinese noodles.

(Source: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/pork/r/porkchopsuey_p.htm)

General Tso’s Chicken

1 lb chicken thighs, boned and cubed
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup cornstarch, plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
5 dried chili peppers
1 ½ tbsps rice vinegar
2 tbsps rice wine
3 tbsps sugar
3 tbsps soy sauce
In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the 1/2 cup of cornstarch and the eggs; add the chicken and toss to coat. If the mixture is too thick, add some vegetable oil to separate the pieces. In a small bowl, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the 2 tsps cornstarch with the wine, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce.
First-Stage Frying: Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil in a wok to medium-high heat (350-400). Fry the chicken in small batches, just long enough to cook the chicken through. Remove the chicken to absorbent paper and allow to stand (this step can be performed well in advance, along with the sauce mixture, with both refrigerated).
Second-Stage Frying: Leave a tablespoon or two of the oil in the wok. Add the pepper pods to the oil and stir-fry briefly, awakening the aroma but not burning them. Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the pieces are crispy brown.
The General's Favorite Sauce: Add the sauce-mixture to the wok, tossing over the heat until the sauce caramelizes into a glaze (1-2 minutes). Serve immediately. Serves 4, along with steamed broccoli and rice.
(Source: http://www.recipezaar.com/52488)

Spam Musubi

4 cups “sticky” white rice
1 can Spam or “luncheon meat”
6 sheets nori (dried, seasoned seaweed)
¼ cup soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
Cut Spam into 1/4 inch slices. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the soy sauce or teriyaki sauce and fry the Spam, turning once or twice, until slightly crispy.
Using your hands, take a large handful of rice and press it into the shape of a small brick about the length and width of the spam slices and about two inches tall. Make sure your rice is not too hot! You can wet your hands and/or dust them with salt to make the shaping go smoothly. If you're a neat freak, use plastic wrap.
Cut your nori sheet into 2 inch strips.
Place a slice of Spam on top of your rice brick, and wrap both with a strip of nori.
(Source: http://www.hawaiianswers.com/index.php?page=index_v2&id=2&c=26)
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